Researchers from institutions that are part of the NIEHS-funded NanoGo Consortium, used mouse and rat models to examine pulmonary health effects related to titanium dioxide nanoparticles and carbon nanotube exposure. Predictable and repeatable results from multiple institutions is important for informing policies that prevent possible health risks associated with nanomaterials, and the research demonstrates that the multicenter consortium approach can provide comparable data across institutions.

Using a standard protocol across multiple labs, researchers examined three forms of titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles and three forms of multiwalled carbon nanotubes. Four laboratories evaluated lung responses to nanomaterial exposure in mice, and three labs evaluated lung responses in rats. At day one, all three types of titanium dioxide nanoparticles caused significant inflammation in mice in three of four labs. For the rat studies, anatase nanobelts (TiO2-NB) caused inflammation in rats at day one in two of three labs while anatase/rutile spheres (TiO2-P25) and anatase spheres (TiO2-A) had no significant effect for any of the labs. TiO2-induced inflammation in both mice and rats resolved after seven days. Original and purified multiwalled carbon nanotubes as well as carbon nanotubes functionalized with carboxylic acid, all caused inflammation at day one in three of four mouse labs and in all rat labs. The researchers say that future research using this consortium approach for toxicity testing and exposure assessment would help ensure the safe continuation and economic viability of nanotechnology.